


Keith's Interlude

by SkyeSentinels



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: I'm Sorry, Lauren's Interlude-inspired, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 14:13:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12389715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyeSentinels/pseuds/SkyeSentinels
Summary: The war was won. The war was over. But Keith doesn't get to see it.Inspired by the Laurens' Interlude from Hamilton





	Keith's Interlude

The war was over. They’d done it. They’d  _ won _ . 

Voltron had defeated the evil that had corrupted the universe. Zarkon was finally dead, drained of the quintessence that had kept him alive for thousands of years.

Haggar, now Honerva, had had her mind restored to her through Allura’s own magics. She was to undergo supervised mind-healing until she was stable again.

Lotor had taken control of what was left of the Galra Empire, a council of advisors behind him to help restore the Galra homeworld to what it should have been. 

The final assault had taken all of Voltron’s power and Keith marveled at how his friends, his ragtag group of a family, had done it. The operation had taken all of their allies to accomplish it with Keith leading a squad of Blades to take down a druid-controlled outpost.

And they’d won, even as Keith sat slumped against a wall, his squad dead and Marmoran blade fallen haphazardly next to him as he clutched his hands to the wound in his side. Every breath was agony, but Keith smiled.

_ I may not live to see our glory. _

Keith gripped the wound even as he accepted the inevitable. This was it. This was how he was going to die.

_ But I will gladly join the fight. _

He listened as static came over the comms. The fight must have messed with the signal, so now he couldn’t even cheer with the rest of the universe...Or call for help.

_ And when the people tell our story. _

Keith checked the recording function instead and when he saw it operational, he smiled.

_ They’ll tell the story of tonight. _

He began to talk.

*****

They find Keith too late. His funeral service is held a week later, along with the rest who had died in what will be known as The Great Liberation.

Aliens from far and wide come to pay tribute to the former Paladin then Blade who gave his life in the fighting. People watch as the Blue, now Red, Paladin is the last to leave and only at the beckoning of the Yellow Paladin.

*****

For weeks after they’d won --and wasn’t that a bittersweet thought? How could anyone call it a victory if Keith was  _ dead? _ \-- Lance stayed in his room, unable to face the celebrations and congratulations. And for what? Keith,  _ his Keith _ , was gone.

A knock on his door startled him, but Lance only curled tighter in his blankets.

“Lance?” Pidge’s voice sounded tired on the other end of his door. “I-I found something. A recording...” A pause, as if the next words were painful. “Lance, it’s from  _ Keith. _ ” Pidge’s voice broke at the name and he could hear quiet sniffling from outside.

Lance was in shock but not enough to ignore his pseudo-sibling crying outside his door. He stood up and opened his bedroom door, a small body colliding with his own as Pidge sobbed into his chest. He hugged her close and let Pidge cry it out, his own tears having dried up awhile ago.

When Pidge had calmed down, she shoved a data stick in his hand and left to go find Matt. Lance returned to his bed and fiddled with the stick for hours before finally plugging it into his tablet, a feeling of dread sliding down his back. The file was big, bigger than Lance expected, the recording must be  _ hours long _ . 

His screen displayed static for a moment and then  _ Keith. _ Lance felt hot tears pouring over his cheeks at the sight of the brave man he loved,  _ still _ loved. The recording wasn’t the best quality, but Lance could still hear the words Keith spoke through blood-covered lips.

_ “Lance, first I want you to know...I love you-” _

**Author's Note:**

> I had some 2am feelings about the end of the series after watching season 4.


End file.
